TV Talent

Part Five: Appointments

The room was as silent as an awkward pause during a Vlive.

It had been half an hour since the girls got back from the mall. They'd sent their clothes to their stylist for approval, then dropped Linda off at the studio to pester Teddy before making their way to their boss's office. He was in a meeting just then, so they were told to wait.

Jennie twisted the fabric of her skirt absentmindedly, staring at the empty leather chair behind the desk. Everything was exactly as she remembered it, from the positioning of the laptop and keyboard to the digital clock that sat at the corner of the desk. Her eyes wandered over the framed awards on the wall and the bookshelf filled with books that seemed as if they had never been read before. On her left, Jisoo leaned over and touched her arm, giving her a reassuring smile which she faintly returned.

The sound of the door opening startled them from their thoughts, and they stood to greet their boss. Yang Hyun-suk radiated an aura of cold decisiveness. He said little, and it was hard to guess what he was thinking from his face.

The four girls bowed politely. 'Annyeong hashimnikka, Sajang-nim.'

He nodded and gestured for them to sit. 'I'll get straight to the point. Tomorrow you will leave to attend the shooting of TV Talent. You are not going alone. Besides your friend Linda, there will be a boy group involved. You know who they are, and, therefore, what this entails.' 

They nodded solemnly.

'Right now this can only go two ways. Up. Or all the way down. Understand that this was a hard decision for me to make and if it were not for the sake of the show's producer, who is a friend, I would never have agreed to this. But now you have a task, and you must complete it with the proper caution.'

'We understand.'

He leaned back. 'It is good that you do. An idol's reputation is a fragile thing, one wrong move and you can never rise again.' He looked Jennie in the eye. 'Lose your image and you will crumble. Your wealth, your fame, even your good looks will become obsolete.'

She looked down.

'The entertainment industry is a ruthless beast that crushes the weak. If you want to succeed you must be the best of the best. You must be ruthless. That means you must put all your emotions to the side and focus on one thing; your image. Do you understand?'

They nodded.

He paused and looked them each in the eye. 'The whole world is watching. You understand the risks. Be careful, and be sure not to disappoint me.'

'Yes, Sajang-nim,' they answered.

He leaned back in his chair and began leafing through a document. 'That is all I wanted to discuss. You are dismissed.'

They stood up and thanked him, then turned to leave.

'Jisoo.'

Jisoo froze, her hand on the door handle.

'I want a word with you. The rest of you may go.'

Jennie turned to her, concern in her eyes. Jisoo shot her what she hoped was a reassuring smile and stepped back into the room.

'Yes, sajang-nim?'

He closed the document and laid it down, then leaned forward and rested his elbows on the desk. 'Have a seat.' 

She sat, nervously. 

'Jisoo. As the oldest sister of Blackpink, you know I hold you responsible for the well-being of the group, at least in part. You know that, and you always look out for them. There are other dangers besides rumors that are implicit in these situations.'

She nodded. 'You mean romantic attraction.' 

'It's a small possibility, but it can happen. Lisa or Rosé, being younger, or even Jennie perhaps, may find themselves attracted to certain people within this group. Should they choose to go down this unfortunate path, understand that not even I will be able to protect them from the consequences.'

A stone of dread formed in her stomach. She nodded, her heart thudding in her chest. 'Yes sir.'

'Good. Then you know what you must do.' It wasn't a question.

She bowed and left.